Session 12 - Bylaws - April 9

Responses to your Ticket Outs from Session 12!

What are you curious about?

• Where in Robert's does it talk about the Chair's requirement to stand at meetings?
• There is no such requirement.
• Who starts writing Bylaws for a newly organized society?
• The society designates a Committee to draw up Bylaws 
• RONR, p. 566
• Holding meetings in the absence of Bylaws
• Many organizations function without any set rules they follow
• Making an organization work and committees
• See you next week!
• What happens if a Bylaw is missing an important Article?
• You will have to follow the other rules in the Bylaws in the meantime, but hurry and make a Bylaws revision to include the necessary Articles!
• Can you "tweak" Bylaws already in place without Amending them?
• No. If the Bylaws say something, you want to follow that exactly. The only way you could "tweak" them is by actually amending them.
• RONR, p. 588-591: Principles of Interpretation
• What would you include in a Constitution that isn't in the Bylaws?
• Things that you want to amend less often and/or have them be more difficult to amend
• Can Bylaws be written in a way that they invalidate themselves?
• Of course, that is why when writing or revising Bylaws you want to take the utmost care that this does not happen. 
• If you have multiple sections that contradict each other, follow the following basic principles of interpretation so that you interpret your Bylaws as best as possible: RONR, p. 588-591

 What did you learn?

• General format of the Bylaws with the 9 basic Articles
• Proper time to use Point of Order
• The Membership Article and what it includes
• NOMOMECPA (mnemonic to remember the 9 Articles in order)
• Article I: Name
• Article II: Object
• Article III: Members
• Article IV: Officers
• Article V: Meetings
• Article VI: Executive Board
• Article VII: Committees
• Article VIII: Parliamentary authority
• Article IX: Amendments
• All about the Bylaws!
• How important it is to "waterproof" your organization's Bylaws
• A group an essentially establish any rules it wants when it creates its Bylaws
• How to write a solid set of Bylaws and where to start
• The importance of descriptive, specific Bylaws
• Bylaws amendments

What do you want to learn more about?

• Bylaws in informal groups where people don't care
• If there is no need for Bylaws, there is no need for Bylaws. Informal groups generally do not have Bylaws. However, if you are a campus organization you do need Bylaws filed with the Office of Student Activities. They will give you a very bare-bones skeleton that you can fill in in order to put down the most basic information about the organization.
• Special meetings
• A special meeting is a meeting that is called outside of the regularly scheduled meeting times and in which only the business sent out when calling the meeting can be discussed.
• See RONR, p. 91-92 for more information. 
• Amending Bylaws
• Amending Bylaws can be a very in-depth process. In order to start the process, often a Committee is created to do so. Also, usually previous notice is given. 
• Read more about all aspects of amending ("revising") Bylaws here: RONR, p. 592-599 
• The final exam
• We'll be talking about it soon!

Session 11 - Organizational Leadership - April 2

Responses to your Ticket Outs from Session 11!

What are you curious about?

• Some more scenarios of punishments
• Development of bylaws and utilization of them
• That's next week! Also check out chapter 18
• Bylaws
• See chapter 18
• Best election practices
• What do you do if you are in an organization that struggles to follow its own bylaws? What can you do as an officer?
• Bring it up to the rest of the officers. Your organization should be following its bylaws! You can explain to them why it's important. 
• Is there a format for creating standing rules?
• They can be adopted by a majority vote as long as it doesn't amend or conflict with any existing rule or act of the society. RONR pg. 18 
• Is there a difference in disciplining officers, chairs, and members?
• Your bylaws may specify different rules. For example, officers can be removed from office as a punishment.  Chapter 20
• More info on officers
• Rules about your officers may be different depending on your bylaws. See also chapter 15
• What about ties in elections?
• In ballot votes where there is no majority reached (like in a tie), the chair announces "no election" and a second election is conducted. pg. 439, l. 33-34 The same situation would occur in a tied roll-call election. pg. 443 l. 19-21

What did you learn?

• How we are supposed to nominate
• If the secretary is absent, you must elect a secretary pro-tem
• Who takes minutes when the secretary is absent
• Voting
• Different types of elections
• Ballot, Viva voce, Roll call, Cumulative voting
• Write-ins taken online for nominations are still nominations by ballot
• Cumulative voting 
• Positive and negative
• Executive secretary is a paid position 
• Duties of a secretary and the presiding officer
• Robert's does lay out policies on discipline 
• What to do in the absence of officers
• When elections take effect

What do you want to learn more about?

• Need a review of motions 
• Bylaws
• Chapter 18 and next week!
• How to start bylaws
• Bylaw revisions
• Rule infractions within meetings and their consequences
• See pg. 644-649 and your bylaws
• When to abstain in an election 
• Anytime you do not want to express an opinion on the election
• Object to the consideration 
• Allows assembly to avoid discussion on a motion, Does not require a second, Not debatable, Not amendable, 2/3 vote against the consideration sustains the objection, A negative vote can be reconsidered
• pg. 267-270

Session 8 - Debate and Voting - March 26

Responses from your Ticket Outs from Session 10!

What are you curious about?

• What type of motion is the motion to take a plurality vote? When is it in order to make this motion?
• How my meetings could run more efficiently by using the strict rules of order.
• If people follow the rules that the are supposed to, the meeting will be run more efficiently automatcially. This is because Parliamentary Procedure is meant to accomplish the four principles and make the meeting run smoother. 
• Election proceedings
• We'l learn about this next class, Session 11!
• What does Sandusky Blitz taste like?
• It's a "banana flavored ice cream, with chocolate covered caramel and peanut pieces."
• Rules about reading minutes, quotations, reports, etc.
• You cannot just assume that you can read from other documents in your speech. However, you can make a request to do so as in pg. 298-299.
• Majority members present
• This means that if you need "more than half" it has to be more than half of those that are there. So blanks and abstentions can affect to vote. 
• Do we write on our exams or turn the correction in on a separate sheet of paper?
• On the exams is alright. 
• Leadership positions within an organization
• Next week...Session 11!
• If I debated twice for a total of 2 minutes, I can't debate more using my remaining time, correct?
• Correct-You forfeit the right to the rest of those speeches. pg. 388 l. 12-20
• Proper use of abstention
• No one can be forced to vote. If they don't want to during a voice, rising vote, or ballot vote, they just have to not participate. During a roll call vote, just say present. pg. 407 l. 12-19
• Meeting attendance via video chat
• More information can be found here about this addition. pg. 97-99
• In the absence of a vice president, who steps up when the chair steps down in order to debate?
• The chair can appoint another qualified member in this case. They cannot have spoken on the motion, not wish to speak. pg. 395 l. 7-13'

What did you learn?

• Proxy votes are only allowed by bylaws and laws. 
• The effects of abstentions on voting outcomes.
• The chair is allowed to vote when creating/breaking ties or two-thirds votes or during secret ballots. 
• Rules about yielding times
• The  maker of a motion cannot debate against their own motion.
• Plurality votes
• When a plurality vote can be used
• The chair can step down to participate in debate although it could make them look like they can't be impartial to the members. 
• Rights of chair to vote
• Various types of voting
• Better debate skills
• There are several types of votes including voice, ballot, rising 
• Proxy voting 
• Practice on debate
• Four types of votes
• Methods of voting 
• Voting based on members present means that if you're present and abstain, you're essentially voting in the negative. 
• Discretion sometimes plays a major role in decisions of the chair
• The chair can participate in debate by stepping down temporarily while the vice president takes the chair. 
• Abstentions are recorded only when having a roll call vote

What do you want to learn more about?

• More practice at chairing
• We'll definitely practice more!
• Elections
• pg. 438-446
• Times each vote types are used 
• A majority vote is most commonly used, including for handling normal business, Two-thirds is used whenever someone's rights as a member will be compromised. Unanimous consent is helpful for when no one objects to the business. pg. 400-406
• Absentee voting
• Check out pg. 423-429
• How do you choose by-laws for your group?
• 2 weeks...Session 12

Session 7 - Midterm Review - March 5

Responses from you Ticket Outs from Session 8!

What are you curious about?

• How hard the midterm will be! STUDY TIPS
• Don't worry too much, but make sure you know the ins and outs of your chart quizzes and the material covered in class! The questions will be pulled directly from the packets you received in class, so answer all of those and particularly review what you got wrong!
• When Suspend the Rules suspends parliamentary procedure.
• What will the performance section of the midterm look like?
• Dr. Foster will chair a 'meeting' in which six students participate at a time. You'll each get one (1) motion that you will have to demonstrate.
• Grading for this section:
• 20%: correctly demonstrated
• 10%: incorrectly demonstrated
• 0%: not demonstrated
• Does the Chair always talk the majority of the time?
• No. In class we're don't debate near as much as the amount that actually happens in deliberative bodies, so in class the Chair seems to talk the majority of the time.
• Difference between the final and the midterm?
• The final is the accreditation exam so it is just multiple choice. You can choose to take it for actual SAEP accreditation if you would like, but will need to pay the $5 testing fee in order to do so.
• Why can't Take From the Table be made at the time a recess has been scheduled?
• As stated in RONR, p. 300, Take From the Table takes precedence over no other motion. Additionally, when a group is not in session no motions related to the group may be made.

What did you learn?

• Midterm structure and review
• How to use all 24 motions 
• Putting everything together
• You can adjourn before a vote
• #Gryffindor4Life & #gryffindorcantstop <-- lots of pride! Congrats!
• How to make 24 motions in ~15min
• Obviously in real life there will be much more debate and difference of opinion (no one will be racing to get all 24 in quickly!) so don't expect this to only ever take this long! ;) 
• Reconsider is only debatable if the motion it's applied to is debatable
• Better practice with motions in actual meetings
• The three ways to vote to Rescind

   
What do you want to learn more about?

• What breed of dog we would like?!
• Gotta be one of these!
• How to use the motions effectively
  
The best advice I can give is to know what each motions means and does, and then to know its characteristics. You'll have an arsenal of parlia pro knowledge!
• Elections and Officers
• See you on April 2nd! Cassie's excited to teach this session :) Check out Robert's while you're bored on the beach and start looking into it!
• More mock meetings please!
• I've passed it on!
• Voting
• Right after the midterm on March 26th! But again, check out Robert's while you're bored on the beach and start looking into it!
• Rules of an Assembly organization
• Each one will have their own, so check out their Bylaws.
• Taking From the Table cannot interrupt a series of connected main motions. Can you show me where in the book that is?
• RONR, p. 302-303

Session 7 - In Depth with Motions that Bring a Question Again Before the Assembly

Responses from you Ticket Outs from Session 7!

What are you curious about?

• Why is reconsider considered an American idea?
• Robert's says it is a motion that originated in America.
• Voting
• We'll go over this during Session 10.
• Reviewing Incidental Main Motions
• RONR, pg. 101-102, l. 5-26
• How often will the Zombie Motions come up?
• It depends on the organization. They usually are not used nearly as often as the other motions.
• Changing the by-laws of an organization
• We’ll learn more about that in Session 12 with Katie. Until then, check out RONR, pg. 592-599
• Can I retake the quiz before class?
• Yes! Email Katie or I and we’ll set up a time
• Rules in regards to electing and removing officers
• Chapter 14 has all about nominations and elections and RONR, pg. 650-654 is a section about removal of officers. We’ll learn more in session 11, but a lot of it will also depend on the organization’s bylaws.
• The way Congress uses reconsider
• Senate rules permit one motion to reconsider any question decided by vote, if offered by a senator who voted on the winning side. Normally a supporter of the outcome immediately moves to reconsider the vote, and the same senator or another immediately moves to table this motion, thus securing the outcome of the vote. http://www.senate.gov/reference/glossary_term/reconsider.htm
• This site has links to the rules and procedures that Congress follows. http://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_index_subjects/Rules_and_Procedure_vrd.htm
• If someone does lie about voting on the prevailing side could they have any consequences if it’s proven?
• RONR, pg. 645-648 tells about discipline procedures for members who do something wrong during a meeting. You may also have certain consequences set aside for infractions in your bylaws as well.
• Previous notice
• This is an announcement that you are going to bring up a motion. It should be included in the call of the meeting or stated at the previous meeting. It also needs to include the entire content of the motion you are going to present. See RONR, pg. 121-124

What did you learn?

• Taking someone at their word regarding reconsider requires the chair to take that person at their word
• Motions that Bring Back Again Before the Assembly (MTBBABA)
• Three “Zombie Motions” – Take from the Table, Rescind, and Reconsider
• Discussion and amendments need to be germane to the motions
• You can vote on a reconsidered motion at the next meeting
• What can be reconsidered
• Reconsider is truly an American hero
• Rescind and expunge from the minutes can be completed with a majority of the entire membership
• You cannot reconsider the reconsider
• More strategies of how to use different motions together
• Reconsider Yes Chart

What do you want to learn more about?

• Getting accustomed to the rules of these three motions
• It'll take practice!
• The midterm
• Parts include: Written multiple choice, Research (finding answers in Robert’s), and  Performance
• We’ll review and go into more details next week
• Will there be midterm review material posted on Angel?
• We’ll hand out a review packet next session. Use the weekly quizzes and supplemental materials that are on Angel to study too.
• What goes into bylaws?
• We’ll learn about this in Session 12, but also check out Chapter 18
• How to use reconsider if your membership/organization does not use this idea
• Bring the motion back up at another meeting
• More about reconsider
• See RONR, pg. 315 and use the Yes Chart
• How to use the motions better
• Keep practicing and it will become more natural and easier. Also, try to think of ways that you can play motions off of each other to get what you want accomplished.
• Use of notification to change the vote necessary to pass these motions
• Reconsider and Take from the Table do not change based on previous notice. They both require a majority to pass. 
• Rescind requires a 2/3 vote or a majority vote if you give previous notice, or a majority of the entire membership. See RONR, pg. 306, l. 24-31
• Call the Previous Question logistics
• A member calls for the previous question and another seconds it. The chair takes a rising vote (because it needs 2/3 vote to pass). If it passes, all debate stops and the assembly votes immediately. 

Session 6 - In Depth with Incidental Motions - February 19

Responses from your Ticket Outs from Session 6!

What are you curious about?

• Suspend the Rules
• Suspend the Rules sets aside a rule of the Assembly. 
• Needs a second, not debatable, not amendable, cannot be reconsidered
• Requires a majority vote to suspend a Standing Rule, but requires a 2/3rds vote to suspend a parliamentary order or order of business
• Read everything about it here: RONR, p. 260
• Bylaws language
• Follow Ch. 18 starting on p. 565 on creating and writing the Bylaws with correct language. 
• We will be studying this more in depth on April 9th!
• Judging opportunities and coaching for them
• Talk to Dr. Foster for details!
• Is time the primary purpose you can only debate once in Appeal?
• Although RONR doesn't state anything specifically, time is a good reason, as is the fact that a decision has already been made and members are debating the validity of that decision. The Chair has the right to speak first or last.
• Read all about Appeal starting on RONR, p. 255
• The five other Incidental motions we didn't cover
• Consider by Paragraph or Seriatim: RONR, p. 267
• Motions Relating to the Methods of Voting and the Polls: RONR, p. 283
• Motions Relating to Nominations: RONR, p. 287
• Request to be Excused from a Duty: RONR, p. 289
• Requests and Inquiries: RONR, p. 292
• MTBBBTA ("zombie" motions)!
• Next week! Read Ch. 9 to prepare.
• Is there a way to formally call out an officer and re-vote the vote that gave them their office? Like a Call for the Orders of the Day but for the role of officers?
• I like that idea for a motion! Unfortunately, it doesn't exist though. 
• The best way to call out or punish an officer or member is to move to censure him or her. The rules regulating censures and the subsequent punishments are usually laid out in an organization's Bylaws.
• Incidental main motions and why they are used?
• They're main motions that are incidental, or related to, the Business of the Assembly or its past or future action. 
• They're used for procedure or to delineate further steps related to substantive Business (aka something introduced via a main motion)
• See RONR, p. 100-102
• Withdraw/Modify
• Use this motion to withdraw or modify a motion without having to take a vote
• Needs a second when modifying the motion. Needs no second when withdrawing the motion
• Not debatable. 
• Vote by general consent when asking to withdraw. The negative vote in withdrawing a motion can be reconsidered
• See RONR, p. 295-298

What did you learn?

• The eight Incidental ("popcorn") motions (POWPADDS)
• Point of Order
• Object to the Consideration of a Question
• Withdraw
• Parliamentary Inquiry
• Appeal
• Division of the Assembly
• Division of the Question
• Suspend the Rules
• Withdraw has conditions on voting
• You can't Appeal an opinion
• There can be numerous parts to your main motion and you can break it down by calling for Division of the Question
• Amendments can be divided with Division of the Question
• Division of the Assembly vs. Division of the Question
• Division of the Assembly: retaking a vote in a format where the result can be quantified. Call it when you don't trust a viva voce vote
• Division of the Question: dividing a motion into smaller sections to be dealt with individually
• How to Suspend the Rules and that the motion has different standards and restrictions when applied to different types of rules
• You can't Suspend Bylaws unless it's stated in the Bylaws that you can
• Incidental motions are for the unexpected and do not have an order of precedence
• How to properly use Object to the Consideration of a Question
• When you can Withdraw with or without a vote

What do you want to learn more about?

• Voting
• We'll be looking at Debate and Voting on April 2nd
• In the meantime, check out Ch. 13 in RONR (starting on p. 400)
• How to make sense of all 24 motions and their precedence
• Use the acronyms in order of precedence (FARQC, LCLRPRAP) and then POWPADDS and MTBBBTA and Main to remember them all. Keep up with your chart quiz studying and it will all fall into place before the semester is out! 
• Cassie and I would also be happy to meet with you to find the best way for everything to make sense for you :)
• Using Object to the Consideration of the Question in a model
• Check out RONR, p. 270!
• Suspend the Rules
• Suspend the Rules sets aside a rule of the Assembly. 
• Needs a second, not debatable, not amendable, cannot be reconsidered
• Requires a majority vote to suspend a Standing Rule, but requires a 2/3rds vote to suspend a parliamentary order or order of business
• Read everything about it here: RONR, p. 260
• MTBBBTA!
• Next week! Read Ch. 9 to prepare.
• Under what circumstances would you Withdraw a motion?
• Successfully withdrawing a motion makes it as if that motion never happened. There are many situations in which you might want that to happen, such as new information coming to light (for example, you want to move our midterm to March 12th, but then realize that's spring break) - see RONR, p. 41 for this particular example. 
• Using Chair language
• Pay attention to the phrasing used in class by Dr. Foster and your classmates, read the models of motions in RONR, and practice with your friends!
• Participating in debates as Chair
• You'll have at least two opportunities to Chair class this semester!
• Amending Bylaws
• Amending Bylaws is a variation of the motion to Amend Something Previously Adopted. 
• It's an involved process and the process for each individual organization will be explained towards the end of their Bylaws document. We will be covering Bylaws on April 9th, but until then read RONR, p. 592-599
• Where in Roberts does it say about Withdraw needing a second after being stated?
• RONR, p. 40-41
• Object to the Consideration of a Question
• This prevents the main motion from being considered
•  No second, not debatable, not amendable. Because no second and no debate is needed, the Chair takes an immediate vote on the Object to the Consideration of a Question motion
• Requires a 2/3rds vote in the negative for the main motion to not be considered. Only a negative vote can be reconsidered
• Check out RONR, p. 267 on for more information
• Are there any example websites on Parli Pro videos?
• YouTube has tons!

Session 5 - The Fun One! - Feb 12

Session Recap

Chart Quizzes

• Chart quiz grades are posted on Angel.
• If you did not pick yours up after class, we'll have them next week too. 
• If you want to retake a quiz, please let either Katie or I know, and we'll set something up.
• Some things to remember:
• Be exact when naming motions
• Mark "weird" votes.   
• ex. Call for the Orders of the Day-No vote, but need 2/3 negative to set aside
• Think through why things are the way they are.    
• ex. There is nothing to amend on adjourn, therefore it is not amendable. 
• If you need help, want to clarify anything, etc. just ask!

Group Videos

• You guys did a fantastic job and were very productive with your videos! I'm proud of you all!
• Make sure as we learn more motions, you work on the two motions your group did not get to yesterday.
• Have either Katie or I check over your scripts before you film.